Young people now more likely to live with their parents than a significant other

More young Americans now live with their parents than with a spouse or romantic partner, and this is the first time in at least 130 years of U.S. history that has ever happened, according to a Pew Research Center report released Tuesday.

According to researchers, the statistic was a long way coming, and is a combination of two factors: Young people who are putting off marriage until the later years of their life, and "trends in both employment status and wages." Namely, young men have gone from 84% employment in the year 1960 to just 71% employment in the year 2014. While compensation for young, male workers has "been on a downward trajectory since 1970 and fell significantly from 2000 to 2010."

Source: Pew Social Trends

As noted by Deseret News last year, it's not just changing social mores leading to fewer young married couples. Challenges reaching life goals like getting married, buying a house or having children are connected to an economy with stagnant wages and limited job prospects.

"The No. 1 issue defining this generation is lack of full-time, meaningful jobs and economic opportunities overall," Paul T. Conway, head of the nonprofit Generation Opportunity, told the News. "When you start to put the data points together, a talented generation is being impacted at the point of entry-level job skills ... [delayed life goals] drive family and culture and the economy. It's a vicious cycle from an economic standpoint."

In other words, many young people are unmarried, broke and frustrated, which makes their continued optimism despite it all somewhat remarkable.

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Young people now more likely to live with their parents than a significant other